Irène Némirovsky's novellas about the French under pressure from the Nazis are deeply impressive.

Romania and the consequences of prewar and postwar exile dominate Paul Bailey's tender work.

Say what you will, but Roth has added aging and decay to his remarkable repertory theater of themes.

Ali Smith narrator Amber spins many tales at once, and has no patience for talking heads.

Gorgeous stories from a Canadian journalist have Newfoundland and Nova Scotia (and fire) in common.

Josef Pronek can't decide if he's a Serb or a Muslim or even a man. Instead, he'd "complicated" ...

Nabokov's Appalachian tall tale tears academia to shreds, and provides the meaning of "crapula" ...

Prolific Albanian Kadare turns the screws on the intrigues of the Hoxha regime — without compromising himself.

Hemingway's sentimental Venice flop.

Updike should stick to Rabbits and criticism. Terrorism is a bridge too far, and sometimes silly.

Bill Buford scalds himself in the presence of Mario Batali, but the result makes for appetizing reading.